Torn Between Two Worlds
by BlackSheep115
Summary: AU, sequel to "Sweetest Dream" - On Planet Vegeta, the Prince is forced into a marriage with a slave, Bulma. Years of a rocky marriage has finally come to the two being a real couple. How did it come to that? How did they develop their relationship over the years? Bulma recounts the memories of what lead to their newfound love as she leads a rescue party to Vegeta's last mission up
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys! This took me much longer than I expected but I'm finally done! Yeahii.

Thanks to everyone who helped me and encourage me. You're amazing! Especially thanks to the talented and lovely writers HannaBellLecter and thats_my_bulma for helping me so much and especially enduring all my harassments about this story xD

* * *

 _The sun was shining through the leaves of the huge oak tree and tickling her nose into a tiny sneeze while she was giggling. Only moments ago she was sitting next to her mother in a beach chair and they both had looked at the few fluffy clouds in the deep blue sky, imagining what animals they could see in them, giving them names and creating funny stories for each of them._

 _"There! This one mommy. Can you see it? It's a little puppy!" The little girl's eyes had shone with excitement to discover that little pet. Like all little innocent girls growing up in a pampered, ideal world, she loved those cute and fluffy animals._

 _"Yes, my dear, I can see it. What's its name?" Her mother was clapping her hands in delight as she looked up into the sky with a big smile on her face to show her joy._

 _"Hmm.." the little girl thought for a moment. "I want him to be called Wuffy"._

 _"Wuffy, what a fitting name for this cute guy. What's his story?" the woman wanted to know._

 _"He's on his way to his candy chew bone over there." She had pointed at another white cloud sitting not far from Wuffy in the blue sky._

 _"His candy chew bone? He has a sweet tooth, just like you!" A light giggle and a loving smile had warmed that girl's heart and she decided it was the happiest day of her life. She squeezed her eyes shut as she laughed at her mother in a way that had let her know that her daughter was truly happy and she as well had thought to herself, that this must be true happiness and exhilaration._

 _The little girl then started chasing butterflies. The colors of the tiny animals as bright as her long blue hair, waving in the wind as she ran around in the venerated garden and her cheerful laughed had echoed over the immense property belonging to her parents._

 _Eventually, she had let herself fall down on the soft grass under the big oak with a merry giggle. The happy song of the birds sang her to sleep on this beautiful, warm and carefree summer day._

 _...ooo..._

If there was a heaven, then this place, this time, right now, had been it. She had felt blessed, she had felt secure, she had felt safe.

"Nappa..?" Her mouth formed his name in a desperate attempt to wake him up, but her voice was too hoarse and the word barely came out. He didn't notice her.

She felt dizzy, keeping her eyes open was the hardest thing she had to do while her head was spinning and dropping limply to the side.

What happened? Why is it the 15th of May? Vegeta! Where's Vegeta? Is he alive? Had she only dreamt everything? Does it mean he's still missing or does it mean he's back or had he never been missing? Her mind was racing, her emotions going crazy. First, her stomach dropped, then she felt hope rising inside her, giving her a tiny bit of energy and will but it was suddenly replaced by an upcoming panic, a knot in her stomach moved up and tightened up her throat, making breathing nearly impossible.

The sound of the heart monitor sped up again and woke Nappa this time. It took him a second but the moment he realized she was awake, he jumped out of his visitor chair, went to her bedside and looked her over worriedly.

"My Princess?! How are you feeling?" He asked impatiently.

"Vegeta..?" Was her only response in a hoarse and weak voice, still no strength to keep her head up.

He knitted his eyebrows and bowed his head as he spoke in a low voice.

"The rescue party is still on planet Proxima Centauri b. They could only find Vegeta's broken scouter but no trace of the Prince himself.

Bulma tried to swallow a tear. "H-how are the chances?" she pressed out.

Nappa hesitated for a moment. Contemplating if she could take the truth or not. He decided she would want to know the truth plus if he wouldn't say it now then he would have to say it later.

"If the scouter wasn't fully destroyed then it could either mean that he lost it before he was pulverized by the attack or he lost it after the attack which would mean he found a way to escape or he was carried away. If he escaped himself then there are little chances that he is still alive. The transmission left no room for hope, his injuries were way too bad to survive without medical help."

"But if someone helped him..?" She sat up somewhat troublesomely, as she placed her hand on his forearm and looked at him with the biggest and most hopeful eyes he ever saw. He hated to take that little hope from her, but she always appreciated his honesty, so he told her his assessment of the situation.

"If someone took him, then we can only hope it's someone with access to good medical knowledge and who's a friend of us Saiyans but since the negotiations didn't show the wanted results and Centauri Proxima b was about to be purged... "

Bulma raised her hand to silence him as she looked away to hide her tears from him. Still, she was grateful he wasn't giving her false hope where only very little to no hope actually was.

"Nappa..." her voice so low he almost couldn't hear it.

"My princess?" He looked at her intensely.

She knew it was stupid to ask. It was too dangerous. If Vegeta couldn't stand the enemy and if the rescue party couldn't do anything, what could she do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing but she couldn't sit here and wait and drink tea. She had to look for him. He would do the same for her.

"Please escort me to Centauri Proxima b." She begged desperately.

"My princess, you need to rest and the party is still there. They're searching every centimeter of the area!" He tried to argue with her, genuinely concerned about her well-being.

"Nappa, I need to. If he is still alive and needs help th-then I will never forgive myself f-f-for lying in bed instead of doing e-everything possible in m-my powers!" The rising desperation was audible in her words, as her breath picked up again and she started shaking slightly, tears filling her eyes.

Bulma looked at him with pleading eyes as she whispered, "Nappa, please. I love him."

"Bulma." He said in a sad voice "you came a long way." He smiled sadly as he petted her hair in a fatherly fashion.

Their marriage had been not like any bedtime fairytale Bulma had been told by her father as a child. Vegeta hadn't been the charming prince, smiting the dragon, saving her from her terrible fate, pulling her out of the poverty and bathing her in wealth. No. Not one bit. They had both been forced by the king into this marriage. Neither of them had decided for it but Vegeta had made it his mission to let his frustrations out on her, punishing her for the consequences his own stubbornness and rebelliousness and showing her that he had only felt hatred, scorn and spite for her. Their first year together had been almost worse than her whole life in slavery before their marriage. As a slave, she had had a job to do, endured pain, harassment, and mockery but she could always leave soon to the next task and at the end of the day she had gone to her slave's quarters and had been able to rest a bit.

But after the mating ceremony, she had been under constant observation, had been forced to stay at Vegeta's side, who always had new cruel ideas for her every day and every day she had wished Nappa would have just let her die in that shabby bar he found her working in. The second year had a change in store for her. Vegeta had finally stopped torturing her and had started to accept her as his mate.

Now, additional two years later, she sat in that hospital bed and all she could worry about was if her beloved husband was alive and well, fighting back her tears as she held on tightly to the forearm of his friend, her hand trembling with trepidation.

Nappa was a very tall and muscular man, even for the Saiyan race. He was a very talented fighter and of noble blood which made him one of the favorites of the royals. The king and the prince were strong themselves, without doubt, but with Nappa around them, they could allow themselves to relax for a moment. Despite his reputation for being a brute, which he was in battle, he was a decent man with principles and honor.

He once found Bulma and brought her into the palace. That's why Vegeta gave him the fault of his situation as much as he did her. So he thought it would be a nice punishment to glue Nappa to Bulma and force him to protect the now-princess, a woman that was not of his own race, a person as strong as the rats in the gutter. A task truly way under his level and a disrespect to his strength and abilities. But it didn't work out as the Prince had didn't let his displeasure out on her as well, instead, they befriended each other.

 _...ooo..._

 _He first had met Bulma after a mission._

 _The squad, composed of Nappa, two other men, and two women, had gone to a shabby bar after they had purged another planet. A bar Bulma had been working in. The job they had just completed was only another bullet point on their long list of vivid planets which were once rich in vegetation and different species and that now lay dead and grey - burned down to ashes._

 _"What a shitty mission. They said they would be hard to kill but I only had to flick my fingers and it was all done," Nappa had complained with a snort, obviously disappointed and annoyed by that complete waste of time. After all, he was an elite, one of the best men in the army. Yet he had been sent to a ridiculously easy mission which had been, in his eyes, a disrespect and an insult towards him, his rank, and his abilities._

 _"That's because we did all the hard work and you stayed in the area for the old and weak," had mocked the small woman on the opposite side of the table. She had been slim but muscular and with short, black hair._

 _"Yeah, Fasha's right! Congrats Nappa, you were able to kill the old and weak. You should be proud of yourself. That must have been one of the most difficult missions you have ever participated in," agreed the man next to Fasha. Everyone at the table, except Nappa, had laughed. Nappa had looked like an offended child as he crossed his arms over his broad chest and pouted, knowing there might be some truth in it but still not wanting to admit it._

 _"Pff, look at you two," accused Nappa pointing to Fasha and Tora, "you're completely bruised. That's because you're not as strong as I am. Of course it was hard for you and now you're only trying to cover your envy." he had gestured his hands wildly as he spoke before he had crossed one arm over his chest again and took a long sip from his beer with the other._

 _"Hmm...maybe you should train me then," Fasha had responded in a honey-dipped voice as she had leaned forward towards him. She had puffed up her breasts underneath the fighting suit with her upper arms, giving him a sly smile and a quick wink._

 _Nappa had been unsure what she was implying and had got even more confused when the other three had started to whistle and give inappropriate remarks._

 _"Uh huh UHHH! Train or 'TRAIN'?" Tora had nodded with a wink and holding up his beer. He had clinked his glass with an imaginary one above the table at his clever emphasis on the second "train."_

 _"I would train you anytime, Fasha," the man on her right had said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He had leaned over to her and had given her a flirtatious grin. Fasha only had rolled her eyes in annoyance._

 _"Pff! I've heard of your 'training,' Borgos. You couldn't even make it for 5 minutes," a woman, Jinje, on the opposite side of him had said as she pointed her beer bottle at him._

 _Borgos had blushed furiously as the others had laughed mockingly at the tall woman's comment. Everyone had known the story of him trying to get a woman drunk and rape her while on a purge mission. A couple of men had been standing around them, cheering him on and waiting impatiently for their turn when it had happened. Borgos came the moment he had pulled his dick free, making even the woman laugh uncontrollably and mockingly. This story had been years old but still had haunted him to this very day. As if this hadn't been enough, it had got even worse for him._

 _"Not to mention your 'weapon,'" Fasha had laughed, as she had leaned on her right elbow and had wiggled her pinky finger as if promising to further his humiliation._

 _Borgos' embarrassment and annoyance had been rising equally with the volume of their laughter. "Pff. All lies. Just envy," he had muttered with a huff before taking another sip of his beer, only causing the others to laugh even louder._

 _"Hahaha, well, I never met a man who would confess any of this," Jinje had blared out between laughs._

 _Fasha had leaned forward to the other woman and had pointed her beer to her, "Oh I once did. He said I would be disappointed by his tiny dick!"_

 _"What?!" exclaimed Jinje in disbelief._

 _"Yeah," laughed Fasha, confirming that they had heard right._

 _Nappa raised an eyebrow in curiosity before asking, "Were you?"_

 _"Yeah, were you?" had wondered Tora._

 _"He at least tried his best to pleasure you, right?" had asked Borgos. His voice had sounded as if he had been trying to defend the poor man that dare admit he was a bitter disappointment._

 _"Not. Even. A. Little," had enunciated Fasha. She had sneered at the memory of having once had dealt with such a defective male._

 _"Wait, was this the guy who always had to be right and argued with you until you said he was right?" had wondered Jinje._

 _"Yup! That obnoxious one," Fasha had nodded once before she took a big gulp again._

 _"So...if he would have given his best..." Nappa had started._

 _"...then he wouldn't have been right," Tora had added._

 _Borgos had gasped dramatically, "So he WAS right in the end?"_

 _"Yes. It would have been more exciting to use a tampon. He was disappointing in every aspect," laughed Fasha as she relived the bitter memory. She had laughed even harder as she continued, "He even said he is the female in the relationship and, guys, I can tell you...it's true. But hey! At least he was right!"_

 _"Oh God, I met this guy once, he was actually good looking and was very intelligent but he had even less social skills than the Prince!" blurted out Jinje._

 _The table had erupted with boisterous laughter. The women had made sure to hold their beers close as the men had slapped the table or had placed their arms down to laugh heartily._

 _"Don't let him hear that or he will execute you!" Tora laughed loudly._

 _"Yeah, that's true but his father would laugh his ass off and protect you for telling the truth and making the King laugh," Borgos added._

 _Once the laughter had died down, Nappa had took a drink of his beer and then had looked straight at Fasha across the table. "What you need is a decent man, one that is also equal in battle..."_

 _"...just like Nappa here," had cut in Jinje._

 _"AND equal in bed," had nodded Borgos in agreement. "Just like me over here."_

 _Fasha had bat her eyes and had given Nappa a flirtatious smile while slowly stroking the neck of her beer bottle up and down with her index and middle finger. "Aren't you one of the most skilled men in the army, Nappa? I wouldn't be opposed to learning all of your...'skills.'"_

 _Nappa had sat in confusion, his face growing red from the sexual innuendo. Unsure of how to continue he released an awkward cough before speaking up again," Um. Yeah, I am. But you're only a third class soldier, why would I train you?"_

 _The immediate hurt had been clear on Fasha's face. "Yeah, why would you? How stupid of me," she replied in a low voice._

 _The look across Fasha's face hadn't gone unnoticed by Jinje and she immediately had come to her friend's aid. "Oh Nappa, if you would share your strategic fighting knowledge and show her some techniques, she would surpass all the third class warriors easily! This happened once before. Rank doesn't mean you can't be outstanding."_

 _Nappa seemed to have been considering it for a moment l. "That's true. Kakarot was really outstanding but so was his father, Bardock. But her family is average," he said with a hand gesturing towards Fasha._

 _"So was Bardock's family! Training her is still worth a try," Jinje snapped in ire. It was just like an elite soldier to think he was too high and mighty to give someone else a chance to succeed._

 _"BUT," Tora interjected, "they were both in desperate need to protect themselves and others in order to achieve those powers."_

 _"Maybe Fasha is in desperate 'need' too. Only you have what she needs, Nappa," Borgos had laughed with his hands stroking the air in front of him like pleasuring an invisible, large cock._

 _"Well, that's definitely about the right length in proportion to my body," Nappa had laughed completely ignoring the former training request._

 _Tora nudged Fasha with his right elbow and moved his eyebrows up and down suggestively, "Uh, you hear that? I hope you can keep up with him!"_

 _"OH, MY GOD! YOU GUYS ARE IMPOSSIBLE!" Fasha shouted in frustration and some embarrassment._

 _Jinje scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Ugh, so typical of men. But anyway, speaking of training, we need to get up early for the mission, right Tora?_

 _"Ah, right. I tried to forget but thanks for reminding me. This mission is ridiculous and almost insulting. I don't get why they don't send a baby," Tora snorted._

 _"Yeah yeah, sure. I guess it's time to leave then," said Fasha as she began to rise out of her chair. Faster than she had ever seen her move, Jinje was right behind her, pushing her back down into her seat._

 _"Ah, no no! You guys stay. It's us who need to work tomorrow, not you. Have a nice evening discussing various types of 'training,'" grinned Jinje._

 _Fasha looked over her shoulder at Jinje with a confused expression and a pleading look in her eyes. Jinje simply winked and released her friend's shoulders once she was firmly planted back in the chair._

 _"Training is always good, but first I need to piss. Get home well and have fun on this GLORIOUS mission, Tora and Jinje," Borgos had mocked._

 _"Yeah yeah, fuck you too. See you guys," Tora waved._

 _"Goodnight," said Jinje following Tora to leave._

 _Borgos stumbled his way towards the bathroom as the slave barmaid walked over and began clearing the empty glasses._

 _"I'll take another beer, wench. What about you, Fasha?" Nappa asked, taking the last sip of his beer._

 _Fasha stood abruptly. "I'm leaving too," she huffed._

 _"What? I thought we..."_

 _"Goodnight," Fasha said as she stomped away quickly without another word._

 _"Pff, what's wrong with her? Women...," said Nappa with a roll of his eyes._

 _"She's hurt," replied the barmaid as if she was being addressed._

 _"What did you say?," Nappa asked in irritation that this SLAVE was speaking to him freely._

 _The woman was unsure if she should continue after hearing his voice dripping with anger. "She's hurt. She tried to flirt with you the entire evening and you insulted her and refused her. You hurt her," she replied almost timidly._

 _"What the Hell are you saying to me?!" Nappa hissed angrily. "What do YOU even know?"_

 _"Well I AM a woman, sir," replied the barmaid._

 _Nappa had calmed down a bit when he realized that she might know a thing or two about her own gender, alien woman or not. "She's just not interested," he said in a lower tone._

 _The barmaid began to count off the different things she had witnessed Fasha do that evening in order to come closer to Nappa._

 _Nappa had been avidly confused by these new revelations. "But...what..? Nah, I'm much older than her. Why would she...?"_

 _"I don't know, sir. You should ask her about that on your own, but I can see that she likes you more than just a comrade," the barmaid interrupted._

 _Nappa sat in contemplation of her words and couldn't help but eye the girl. She had looked unkempt but had beautiful features. With proper clothes, she would certainly be gorgeous. If there had been a time before slavery then she perhaps really could know the one or the other thing about mating habits and the temper of women._

...ooo...

Bulma stood in the walk-in closet of their chambers which was as big as a one-bedroom apartment. When Bulma was forced to move in, she had so little belongings that she only needed to occupy a little corner on a shelf.

First, she had been quiet and shy, noticing and knowing she had been an unwelcome intruder in his quarters. Neither of them had wanted her to be there but she had hoped her life would be better, less painful and less agonizing at least. Oh, how wrong she had been but luckily that time was long over.

When he had stopped torturing her and had started to treat her like an actual person, she had started to open up and even relax in his company. At some point, she even started to joke around with him and he would even let her.

Bulma liked to call the closet his secret hidden apartment and asked where the bathroom is or if Vegeta would hide inside when he needed a break from his duties or if it's secretly the door to Narnia. It always made Vegeta smile but also wonder how someone could live with that little space or what the hell Narnia is. Sometimes she would ask him why he has such a big closet anyway since his variety of clothes were as diverse as the wardrobe of Bart Simpson. Whatever that means.

Besides a few noble garments for special occasions, he had tones of the standard Saiyan uniform in blue. Long pants, tops with long sleeves and turtleneck collars, white gloves and white boots with golden toes, white-golden armors with big shoulder pieces. Everything was neatly laid down.

He was a handsome man but this uniform suited him so well that it made him look even more elegant than he already was. She smiled to herself when she let her finger dance over his favorite piece of them all, which he wore at their wedding ceremony. Well, not willingly. He thought that day was not worth the noble clothing and hated to be forced to wear it.

Unlike the other pieces, it was an expensive black fabric and had two golden small stripes around the right upper arm. The light grey gloves and boots had a dynamic curved shape around the wrists and calves and also had golden stripes. The armor was not white with golden shoulder pieces but in lighter and darker gray with red shoulder pieces, it was tapered down to a sharp point at the waist which only emphasized his attractive muscular and V-shaped upper body. A long red cape was attached to the shoulder pieces. Her fingers traced the royal crest printed in red on the left chest before her gaze wandered over to the golden scarf he had worn around his waist. It had covered one of his strong legs, just right next to his crotch, drawing her gaze to just that very place. She had blushed at the thought because the pants didn't leave much to the imagination. When she had seen him back then, in that very moment, she had thought he was the most handsome and attractive man she ever saw (and not only for his big dick) and she had felt a tiny bit of excitement rising inside her. A feeling she hadn't known before, one she never experienced before and she couldn't tell what it was or meant but she decided it was not that bad.

Bulma tried to draw some strength from her good memories – she needed all she could gather for this mission. The woman took a deep breath and got dressed in a standard Saiyan suit and armor. Nappa suggested for her to dress that way because her royal clothes would draw the attention to her and since they don't know what's waiting for them on planet Centauri Proxima b, it's wise to be as inconspicuous as possible. Bulma even had a black wig with wild hair and black contact lenses, because blue hair and eyes are not what are called "inconspicuous". She sighed. Bulma pinned her long curly hair up, made sure that no strand hung lose and would appear under the wig. She grabbed the wig itself and left the closet, walking through the huge bedroom. She stopped in front of the tall windows in the living area for a moment and looked out into the night sky. The fucking sun will shine through the huge windows the next morning, illuminating the whole room. She liked the day but despised the sun.

"Close the curtains in every room!" She ordered the slave on service.

When she stepped out of the big mahogany doors into the corridor, Nappa was already waiting impatiently outside for her. He knew the importance of this mission and how important it was for her and how stubborn she was but still, it was a very dangerous plan, even for a Saiyan and she was only human. He wished she would stay in the palace.

"I went to the lab and got us some bottles of regeneration fluid from the tanks. I don't know if it will work considering how little it is and how much a tank can contain, but if he is still alive, he will need every drop he can get.." he trailed off.

Bulma nodded in acknowledgment before they started walking tensely and in silence over to the docks where a couple of Saiyans already waited. Vegeta picked them himself and told her if she ever needed men, she should call for them. Besides Nappa, he trusted only a few people unconditionally. Those Saiyans were part of that special circle after each one proved their loyalty to Vegeta during the darkest hours, each in their own ways. And now, now they needed every single one of them, needed them to stay true to their vows, so Nappa called for them in Vegeta's name and they followed.

Bulma sat in a passenger seat, the one Vegeta usually occupied, in front of the huge window, that revealed hundreds of stars, planets, moons and the most beautiful nebulas a human eye had ever seen.

But she was blind to the beauty of the colorful universe in front of her. All she was able to see was the black in the endless depth between the variety of colors. Black like his beautiful, piercing eyes that she loved looking into, eyes that seemed to reveal his soul to her and only her. Black like his soft, thick hair that she often pulled during their intense lovemaking. Soft, thick hair that she let her fingers wander through in moments of intimacy. Black as never-ending as her soul - riven by sorrow for the loss of her beloved husband. Now, his eyes were slowly fading away from her sight and his thick hair left her hands empty.

Nappa watched her from the other side of the room as he noticed that she was imitating Vegeta with her body posture. She sat enthroned on the edge of the chair, leaning back and her head rested on one hand that was propped up on an elbow, her slender legs are parted widely and her facial expression was angry, just like Vegeta's always was.

Her whole presence reeked dominance, authority, and menace; ready to jump, attack and kill the poor fuck who dared to lay hands on her mate. She was only a human but the tension she caused hung thick in the air, almost palpable. Nappa smiled to himself. When he first met her, she was a broken woman - beaten and scared - and now she was strong, respected and self-confident. She's a grown ass woman, taking no shit from anyone - a true leader, a worthy mate for the Prince of all Saiyans .

...ooo...

 _When Nappa opened the old and rotten door, the disgusting smell of alcohol, sweat and cigarettes had come his way and stung in his nose, causing him to cringe. He let the door fall shut behind him and stood for a moment in front of it, scanning the shabby room until he had seen a glimpse of blue behind the bar. Nappa hesitated for a second before he made his way slowly over to the barmaid behind the long table, sitting down on a battered barstool uncomfortably._

 _The woman on service insecurely went gone over to her new costumer, obviously not unenthusiastic and uncomfortable to do this job at all. How often must she be harassed or attacked by her customers? Were drinks the only thing she had to serve? She tried her best to dress up as good as possible but her tattered and dirty clothes, and unwashed hair didn't allow her to succeed. She was wearing black pants and a black and white dress with halterneck straps that pushed up her full breasts. When it had been new, it probably had looked really nice and elegant but now it was dirty, marred and long overdue to be replaced. Her oily blue hair was been pinned up in a messy bun and the scum on her hairline had shown, that she had been probably only able to wash her face over a sink._

 _When the woman reached Nappa and recognized him, her face brightened up a little bit._

 _"Hey, big guy, what can I do for you?" She asked with a tired but honest smile._

 _"One beer." He answered roughly._

 _"Which one do you like? I have... a shitty brand aaaand... a shitty brand." She held up one bottle of the same brand in each of her hands, shaking them lightly._

 _Nappa leaned forward on one elbow, eyeing both bottles intensely while he knitted his brows before he saying with a total seriousness. "This is a very difficult choice. I think... I will take the right one. What do you think?"_

 _"I think this is the better choice, Sir." She answered with the same seriousness, mirroring his posture before she opened the bottle and placed it on the damaged surface of the old bar table._

 _"What brings you to this 'fancy' establishment? Is it the beautiful interior? " She spread her arms wide, gesturing to the room in front of her._

 _Nappa turned around to follow her motion and let his eyes wander from one dingy corner to the other. The tables were dirty and partly damaged, the chairs didn't match each other and the benches weren't even upholstered. He looked back at her as she continued: "or is it the delicious and classy beverages?" Pointing to his bottle. Nappa couldn't hide a smile and thought of an answer. "I think it's the overall package."_

 _"Yeah. I can agree. It's a very luxurious place." She said dryly as another customer fell drunken from his seat in the middle of the room._

 _Nappa had looked over his shoulder, raised an eyebrow and huffed before he had turned back to her and asked: "What's your name?"_

 _"I'm Bulma, Sir." She smiled warmly, obviously enjoying the conversation with her guest._

 _"Nappa." He simply replied and raised his bottle to her as she nodded to him in acknowledgment._

 _They shared a moment of comfortable silence before Bulma asked "How's it going with the nice young lady whose ass you kicked so unceremoniously when she tried to get laid by you?"_

 _He almost spit his beer all over the place before he looked at her utterly shocked for such a blunt question. His cheeks were burning with embarrassment when he recalled that evening where he totally screwed up and didn't realize at all that Fasha was trying to flirt with him._

 _"Well.. um..." he stumbled as he shifted uncomfortably on his stool._

 _"Hu, that well, yeah?" She joked and Nappa just grunted his disapproval._

 _She started cleaning the glasses and counter, served other customers and talked with Nappa about Fasha for hours. He would never admit it to her but he had actually come to this shitty place just to talk with Bulma about Fasha. He had tried to talk about her with other people, like Jinje, but somehow he could never find the right words to start the conversation. Bulma seemed to be the only one he could talk to when it came to this particular topic. He hadn't known why that was. Maybe because Jinje was a warrior at his command or because he knows her personally and Bulma was a stranger? A slave, even, he could just kill her if he had to in order protect his reputation. Or was it that she spoke so openly to him the first evening? He didn't know why but he felt strangely familiar with her, even trusted her and it seemed to pay off. She had given him good advise and when he had thought about it, it even sounded logical. Why didn't he come up with it himself? Oh, right. He hadn't known anything about women besides that some of them let you get their cunts if you shove some coins into them first._

 _"I need to piss." Nappa announced and got up on wobbly legs, making his way to the rancid bathrooms. He managed to reach the urinal but hadn't cared at all that he hadn't hit it the whole time. He washed his hands halfhearted and had swayed down the long hallway back to the bar. Halfway there he noticed a woman screaming and men laughing in a room he had passed._

 _He almost hadn't given it a second thought but something had told him to have a look. Nappa opened the door and after a moment he realized what was going on there. Three men were standing around a table, pinning a woman down on it and by the way she was fighting against it, he could say, that she hadn't liked it one bit. Nappa heard her clothes being torn apart and black and white shreds were flying through the room as the woman's screaming intensified. 'Hmm.. odd. Bulmas dress is black and white, too.' He thought and was about to turn and leave when he got a good view to the bar and noticed Bulma wasn't there. Where had she gone? He hesitated, contemplating what to do and decided to have a second look._

 _He sobered up within a blink of an eye and stormed into the room, ripping the first man who already his cock in his hand, down from the blue haired woman, seconds away from being raped. Nappa knocked him and the other two out before he carefully picked Bulma up, eying her thoroughly from head to toe to make sure she was ok._

 _"Are you alright?" He asked her honestly. She was still in utter shock but could stutter her answer, swallowing her tears. "ye-yes.. I-I'm ok.."_

 _"You're coming with me." He ordered as he carried her out of that place._

 _Nappa hadn't thought it through in the moment. He couldn't let her live with him but also, she had no powers, no important name, no property, no reputation. Letting her go and live on her own on the planet would have meant her certain death. He remembered that a comrade owed him a favor so he had managed to bring Bulma to the palace and let her be on service for the royals and nobles. She was still a slave but the conditions were much better. She got clean clothes, could wash herself daily, she got enough to eat more, and rape and violence were reduced from almost daily to almost never. When it did happened, he would take care that the person wasn't able to do it again. Also, he had some influence on where she was put her on service and he tried to let her serve for the royals who rarely touched slaves, completely different to the middle and lower ranks who didn't mind fucking or killing whoever the slave was. That wouldn't be any better than in that shitty bar._

 _It had been the best he could do for her._

 _...ooo..._

He watched her a bit more and smiled to himself. Somehow, it was also his doing that she was in the place she was now. He brought her to the palace and protected her whenever she needed help. Whether she got lost because she went out of the palace all on her own, or from men who tried to approach her, or Saiyan women who thought they would get into the Prince's favor when they freed him from his unwanted bride, or even from Vegeta when he let all his frustrations out on her again. Nappa lost count of the beatings he got from the Prince because of that.

His smile faded when guilt swept over him as it came to his mind how hard the first year of their marriage was for her and that she wouldn't have gone through it if he hadn't brought her to the palace. He was pleased and relieved to see how their relationship had changed and how they started to develop respect, affection, and you might even say... Love for each other.

And this is what he was witnessing in that moment. This love was the reason why she broke down when she heard her husband was missing and this love was demanding the little squad on this ship to find Vegeta. Nappa was so proud of his dear friend.

"Vegeta's last mission – report!"

Nappa's deep thoughts were interrupted by Bulmas demand, her voice strict, leaving no room for disobedience.

Nappa obeyed her and briefed her shortly about everything they knew of the fight and the attack. It was quick, strong, and very brutal. There was no equality in strength or speed. It was a massacre. The tables have truly turned. For once, Vegeta stood on the same side, as the people of the planets he purged. The side of the attacked. The side of victims, the weaker - the slaughtered ones.

Vegeta and a handful of men went to the planet to make sure it was ready for selling. The client was an important business partner so the prince took care of the issue himself. The inhabitants were dead, the resources and nature were intact. Via scouter Vegeta confirmed that everything looked good and ready for the selling as he suddenly screamed in pain, then an explosion, a power level much higher than Vegeta's flickered over the display and then the transmission ended abruptly.

"The inhabitants were fighters and too strong for a Saiyan baby but not strong enough to stand even a small group of third class fighters," Nappa explained.

"This means it's very unlikely that one of them was strong enough to fight him," Bulma concluded with a mutter, knitting her eyebrows in deep thought.

"Correct," Nappa agreed with a single nod before he continued: "Also, none of their scouters showed any life forms beside weak animals, plus Prince Vegeta was attacked from behind. Besides the level of the attack itself, we have no data or any other records of this piece of shit. Not even a picture or sound." His scouter jumped 10 cm high as he slammed his big fist in sheer anger and frustration down on the counter next to him.

"So, we have no idea who we're dealing with." Bulma trailed, her voice dripping with concern for her beloved husband.

Will they be able to find him? Rescue him? HIM?! The Prince, the strongest fighter of their race, beaten with one single attack. What in the name of the seven could she do? A human. With no powers. Sure, she has very strong and capable fighters with her but none of them is nearly as strong as Vegeta was and if he couldn't make it what changes do they have? Is he even still alive? If not, would they find his body to give him a proper and respectful funeral so he will be able to meet his ancestors with dignity, pride and his head held high?

Bulma lost herself in thought as the smell of rotting flesh stang in her nose again. It was clearly a hallucination, yet more vivid than everything around her.

She shut her eyes tightly for a moment and shook away the image before she squared her shoulders, sat a little more upright and demand the next report – the description of the planet they were heading to. One of the men jumped from his seat and gave a slight but respectful bow to his princess before he stood beside her.

He had black spiky hair, standing up in all directions. He wore dark turquoise armor without shoulder pieces but with grass green applications, long dark blue pants, red wristbands, leg warmers, a headband, and black boots with grass green toes. He had a big scar on his left cheek and was almost as tall as Nappa. He was also very muscular and had a very athletic physique.

"Proxima Centauri b. This planet is orbiting within the habitable zone of its closest of the two suns in this star system. It's slightly bigger than Planet Vegeta and one day on Proxima Centauri b equals about 7.5 days on our planet. The gravitation is a third of our plant's one and the surface is dry, stony and rutted.

Stellar wind pressures leave only a thin atmosphere which makes the condition pretty tough. Most of the life forms were withdrawn from the surface to the underground, creating a tunnel system that branches out in all directions, making it absolutely obscure and giving enough places to hide. You never know if you're going to get to a living area, a public space, a dead end, or if you'll head right into a water reservoir and drown in it." He paused and shook his head slightly like he remembered an actual event before he continued.

"The planet turns in a synchronous rotation which means that the same side of the planet is always turned to its closest star. The always bright side is between 0 to 30 degrees Celsius, the opposite side is in permanet darkness and freezing cold. The temperature there is between -20 to -50 degrees Celsius."

Bulma nodded acknowledging.

"Vegeta's last position was on the lighter side in an area that was about 20 degrees Celsius," Nappa remarked.

"What's your name, rank, and task?" Bulma asked the scarred man.

"My name is Bardock, my princess," he answered with a bow of his head. "I am the scientist and pilot on board. I was born as a third class and was trained as a mechanic, but I had the honor to receive the first class rank ten years ago. Due to my advancemen,t I was able to acquire comprehensive medical and astronomical knowledge plus I am allowed to assume command in case the commander is incapacitated."

Nappa stepped forward. "Bardock proved himself to be a very loyal and skillful fighter. Sometimes he gets too cocky, to be honest." He turned slightly to the others and waved his hand to them before he continued to inform Bulma, "They all have. Zucci was indispensable in the historical fight against Freezer because she has the Saiyan's unique ability to heal."

Bulma raised an impressed eyebrow and gave the woman a simple nod, eyeing her thoroughly as Zucci bowed and knocked her right fist against her left chest plate for the noblewoman in front of her to express her respect and loyalty.

The woman in front of her was about 15 cm taller than Bulma. She wore gray armor with black shoulder and stomach pieces, black, tight, knee-high boots and black, fingerless gloves. All of the applications like, the outlining of the armor, the decorative lines on her boots, and gloves were pink. Just like her skirt and scouter. ' _What an unusal choice of color for a Saiyan._ ' Bulma thought to herself. Still, she looked like she could easily beat your ass. Better not mess with her.

"And this is Tora. He's fought for years on Bardock's side. He is a ruthless fighter and kills in cold blood but he also likes to tease and toy around with everyone. He has a strong sense of honor and is very loyal. Also, he has a great strategic mind, stays cool in desperate situations, and finds solutions no one could even come up with when they have days to think." He shook his head in disbelief and grinned proudly as he looked at the tallest fighter of the group.

His shoulder length hair was tied into a ponytail and he wore short pants, armor with shoulder pieces colored in black and ice blue which was a nice contrast to his dark tanned skin.

Next to him, stood the last warrior of this group who was just as tall as the average Saiyan. He had the same armor as Bardock, just in a red-gold shade and without shoulder pieces. A small scar on his right cheek was l silent witness of past battles. His black spiky hair didn't stand on end but hung down a bit, revealing that he wasn't a pure-blooded Saiyan which explained his foreign name as well.

"And here we have Caulitz." Caulitz followed the example of the others and bowed respectfully for the Prince's wife before Nappa grabbed his shoulder and shook him in a slight brotherly manner and grinned "He's a brute and the asshole of the squad."

"What the..?" Caulitz protested against his description as everyone laughed. Even Bulma cracked a little smile and the others started joking around again and agreeing with Nappa, much to Caulitz's displeasure. Who wants to be introduced that way to their princess?

"Vanug! Intred in tie Atvosviele in te enog svonsvie Minotin! Unshiedon auf monoeddun Diovogue envolden." (Warning! Entering the atmosphere in t minus twenty-five minutes. Switching to manual controlling is recommended.)

The artificial voice of the ship's computer system filled the room and let them know that they were going to land on Proxima Centauri b soon. The chatter between the warriors died when all of them prepared for the landing by taking their seats. Bardock deactivated the autopilot and took over the controls by pressing several buttons and the big window at the front of the ship revealed a breathtaking sight of the planet that covered the red dwarf almost completely. The little sun peeped out only a little bit which gave the planet a stripe of glow on top of it. Various shades of red and brown danced over the surface of the planet, covered by a few small and thin clouds, creating a painting-like scenery.

Unfortunately, it was not the right time to admire the view because the stellar storms jammed the whole control system and caused it turn off and on over and over again. Everyone was grabbing tightly onto something when they shook back and forth due to the turbulence. Red warning lights flashed to emphasize the dangerousness of the situation. The whole spaceship moaned, cracked and creaked under the pressure until they eventually passed the storm. When they landed it was dead silent onboard and Bulma couldn't decide if it was a good or a bad sign that she wasn't the only scared one for a change. No one dared to breathe until Bardock announced that everything was over and he would run a quick analysis of the conditions outside. His fingers flew over the control panel again and shortly after a green light flashed, telling them there was nothing to worry about at the moment.

"Alright," he began "the conditions are safe. The temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius and the air is not toxic in any way. The oxygen content is a bit low. It's safe for us Saiyans but I would recommend you, Princess Bulma, to wear a mask. Also, we are only 20 meters from Prince Vegeta's last known position. Precision landing." He got up and walked over to a cupboard, opened the door and got out a little black mask that covered only the mouth and nose. There was a small bottle with a belt attached that had the sign for oxygen printed on it. Bulma recognized it as the standard equipment for every spaceship and took it with a nod. The woman tied the belt around her waist before she put the mask on and opened the oxygen feed, testing if it worked correctly and put on her black wig. When she was ready they all went over to the heavy door of the spaceship.

Nappa pressed the opening button and the thick door fell down heavily on the planet's surface, blowing up thick dust.

After the dust had settled, the group left the ship and had a first look at the surroundings. The surface was as described - dry and stoney, painted in the most beautiful shades of red and brown, but also marked from the battles that took place. Everyone was very attentive, scanning the surroundings for any living beings or danger. Bardock checked their position with his scouter before he pointed to a direction and announced: "From over there came the last transmission."

They walked a few steps until the whole extent of the situation became clear to them. Shocked, they stopped not being able to believe the scenery in front of them. This was not a battlefield, this was a massacre. Bodies and body parts very laying around, there was so much blood, none of them had seen this much blood before. The armor of the deads let them be recognized as Saiyans but they were to many to count.

There was one important question left unanswered for Bulma: Was Vegeta among them?

* * *

Phew! This took me way too long to write it. I hope you guys like it :)

Soibean requested on AO3 to show how the relationship between Nappa and Bulma developed and I liked the idea that they are actual friends. I hope I could picture that well.

If you guys have ideas, wishes or criticism then let me know and I see what I can do and if it fits into the story. I'm happy to read from you :)


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys,

I. AM. SORRY. I uploaded this chapter on Christmas on AO3 (user BlackSheep115) and totally forgot to update it here as well *cry

I know, it's been AGES and I'm really sorry. I had a very exciting and busy year, with being way too often sick, an amazing trip to the USA and Canada, too many side projects and an awful writers block. But now, I'm back with a little *cough piece. I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks to everyone, who stayed with me and asked for my wellbeing :)

Also a huge thanks to ScarletRaven1001 and froglady15 for their help with beta reading and language check :)

These two ladies both wrote wonderful pieces for the Big Bang event. Please check out their work and maybe, because it's Christmas, you'll leave a nice comment? Every author is happy about a kind word :)

Blood. Everywhere. Their boots turned crimson. The red liquid crawled its way up to their ankles and calves; further and further with every step they took into the sea of death.

Rotten. Overwhelming. They had to hold their breaths; the odorant molecules of sulfur, ammonia and methane dancing around in their noses, merging into a mosaic of the sweet miasma of rotting flesh.

Silence. Deafening. They never had been on a place that was as silent as this battle field. No bird, no insect made a sound; not even a single fly feasted on the rich buffet of gore and corpse, nor did one single leaf rattled on the trees to give some proof of any life remaining.

They all had seen battlefields before, but never ever had they seen one with so many of their own people strewn about, slaughtered like cattle. They hadn't been simply killed, their bodies had been ripped into shreds and thrown all over the area; the ground was soaked in blood, the stinging smell of putrefaction hung so heavily in the air that it even left a bitter taste on the their tongues. It was impossible for even a single soul to have survived this absolute massacre.

And Vegeta? Could he have survived this? If yes, then only because the attacker had wanted him to live. But why would they want him alive? To torture him? To get information out of him? To demand ransom or specific actions? Or was Vegeta among the dead? Had he been torn apart, limb from limb, and thrown away like trash afterwards?

A single tear threatened to roll down Bulmas cheek and over her fingers that covered her mouth as hopelessness overwhelmed her and dread filled her; it was very likely Vegeta had befallen the same terrible fate as these doomed souls spread out in front of them.

She turned away and squatted down on the once dusty ground, unable to breathe and comprehend the scenery behind her and her own crushing feelings of fear and sorrow.

A strong hand laid down softly on her small shoulder, keeping her from losing herself in her thoughts.

"You don't have to do this, Bulma." Nappa said quietly to her. He knew she had seen battlefields before, but never anything as bad as this one and never had she needed to look at the bodies closely, hoping she would never find what she was looking for.

"I'm... I'm alright..." she replied with a shaking voice, struggling to keep her composure. She took two deep breaths, got up and turned around to face the aghast squad.

"I know it doesn't look like there are any, but we need to look for survivors and call in troops to pick up the dead, take them home for a respectful burial. We owe them that much at least," she paused a moment as she let her eyes wander over the dry land, contemplating if adding it to the order was necessary since they were all experienced warriors, but she figured it was her responsibility to somehow take care of them. "I want you all to keep your eyes open for anything that could help us to find out what happened here, who attacked and if they took any hostages. But be careful, we don't know if anyone is still here or what's waiting here for us. This could be a trap." Her voice was thick with worry and grief for the fallen warriors. She wasn't a Saiyan, she hadn't grown up on their planet, but they were still her people. Their deaths affected her as much as if they had been her own people.

Nappa took the lead and separated the area, telling everyone which quadrant was their responsibility before they spread out and started to search the area systematically.

"No survivors here." Caulitz informed the others in a professional manner.

"Here neither." Zucci answered.

"Negative." Nappa added who wasn't leaving Bulmas side.

"Same." Tora simple said.

Only Bardock hadn't yet responded. They all looked over to him just to notice that he had stopped dead in his tracks, staring down at a dead body. They all looked questioningly at each other before they walked slowly over to him, still having an eye on their surroundings.

As they reached him and stood by his side, they saw what he was looking at, paralyzed in shock. A tall man lay face down in front of him. He wore a brown armor with shoulder pieces, brown boots and fingerless gloves, black short pants and a red ribbon around his thigh. His long, wild and bodied hair reached down to his knees, which also covered his face.

Bulma was confused by this scene, but everyone else knew who Bardock thought this man was; his son, Raditz.

Bardock was unable to move, to turn the man over to reveal the brutal truth. Tora squatted down to move the body onto its back.

When Bardock was able to look into the lifeless eyes, he closed his own. Then he turned away and squatted down himself, shakily releasing the breath had been holding for what seemed like half an eternity, letting his shoulders drop.

Only a stranger.

Caulitz laid his hand on Bardock's shoulder and gave him a brotherly squeeze, letting him know that they understood what he was going through just a moment ago, and they were glad as well that this warrior was not Bardock's son.

Zucci eyed the body thoroughly when she noticed his forehead and hair looked somewhat weird. She almost missed it and didn't give it a second thought, but something told her to remove the long mane from his face and clean a little area of the blood and dirt. She looked worriedly at the squad before she shoved her slender fingers carefully under his too deep placed artificial hairline, creating a smacking noise as the wet and sticky horror was removed from the stranger's skin, falling from his head and eventually, revealing its obnoxious nature.

A scalp.

"What the hell is this?" Bulma asked in total shock as she looked in concern over to Bardock, who was gagging, fighting with himself not to throw up.

"A message." Nappa answered alarmed.

Bardock tried to keep his composure, but the way he kept calling his son made it clear that he was worried to no end that this disgusting find could very well have been his boy's scalp.

Zucci documented the scalp thoroughly and discovered some kind of engraving on the inside of it.

"Boys! Boys, come over and look at this!" She reached out to the team.

"What is it? Have you found anything?" Bardock hurried over to her, hope swinging in his voice. Or was it fear?

She showed them what she found.

"What the fuck is this?" Tora asked in disgust.

"A hexagon shield with metal parts and tools on it. And close the edges, all around, are alien symbols I've never seen before, maybe an old writing, a long forgotten language," she tilted it slightly, to allow the light illuminate all of the details. "But this is not the weirdest shit about it. Look at this," She rubbed gently a wet cloth over the wounded skin.

"What in the name of the Seven Hells is going on? What sick fuck would do such a thing?" Nappa remarked in sheer disbelief.

"I have no idea, but who ever took the time to scalp a person, engrave and tattoo it, was on the one hand cock sure that they had the time to do that and they made a real effort to leave a message."

"Maybe they didn't do it on the battlefield but brought it with them…" Bardock voiced his thoughts.

Later, she wrapped it up so they could take it to a laboratory for a DNA test. Unfortunately, the spaceship didn't include a laboratory itself; that would have to wait until they reached the next inhabited planet.

Nappa reported to the king about the current state and their further plans.

"Yes, my king." Nappa nodded respectfully to the big screen, displaying the King at the end of the line.

"Nappa, I expect you to find him!" the King demanded, but couldn't hide his worries over his son's wellbeing.

"Of course my king. So do we, I can assure you." He replied tiredly, he himself was worried. As the personal guard and mentor of the prince, he had literally helped in raising the heir to the throne.

"And Nappa?" he called out to him once more.

"Yes, my king?" Nappa looked at the king, waiting patiently for the next order.

"Be safe." The king finished with a worried look.

Nappa only nodded in response before the display went black and he eventually joined up with Bulma, Tora and Caulitz.

"What did he say?" Tora asked Nappa as they all looked expectantly at Nappa.

"He recognized the engraving as a crest but he couldn't tell from which race." He started as he was clearly deep in thought.

"Well, that's a start, but you don't look happy about it. What is it, Nappa?" Tora looked Nappa over worriedly after he exchange nervous looks with Bulma, which didn't go unnoticed by the others. When Zucci and Bardock joined them, Nappa continued.

"He said it contains a writing but the characters are very old, too old to be read. It could be the crest of an ancient race, extinct long ago."

"Fuck, so it really is true." Caulitz breathed and verbalized what everyone else was thinking.

"So we have nowhere to start?" Bulma asked desperately as the information and its meaning sunk in.

"Maybe we do," Tora mumbled, checking the data files on his handheld. "There is a guy who seems to be as old as the universe itself, but he knows almost everything. Unfortunately it's pure luck if we can find him and if he shares his incredible knowledge."

"But maybe it's worth a try and the best option we have anyways." Zucci shrugged.

Tora uncomfortably cleared his throat.

Caulitz raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well... We know the planet but no one knows his exact location. He could be anywhere. In the north or in the south, on the surface or in the underground." he pressed.

"Oh great, why are we not playing the lottery instead?" Zucci sighed and gestured dramatically.

"Maybe we can find a sign of what happened to Vegeta and Raditz." Nappa suggested, squeezing Bardock's shoulder in a brotherly fashion, who simply nodded once.

"Alright. It's settled then. Set the coordinates and let's kick some asses!" Bulma clapped her hands a couple of times to emphasize her order and the Saiyans hurried over to their seats to prepare everything for the lift off.

Silence. The silence was deafening, louder than any living being ever could be.

Bulma clutched her pillow tightly as she wandered through the dark spaceship when everyone was asleep. The soft sounds of her bare feet against the floor echoed off the cold metal walls, emphasizing the emptiness and loneliness in her heart. Another night of sleeplessness, another night of horror scenarios playing in her inner eye. Her imagination was not her friend tonight; Vegeta's arms were chained above his head, his head hung loosely from his shoulders, his tail painfully deformed, blood dripping from his broken nose, his bare chest smeared with blood, sweat and vomit that was running into his open wounds. Was he unconscious? Dead?

She shook her head in an attempt to get rid of that picture. But the question still nagged. Was he alive? Was he badly injured? Was he a hostage? Was he being tortured? She didn't know.

She reached the living area with the open kitchen. Only a little counter top, a fridge and sink. It looked like stainless steel but she knew it was another material that was extremely light but still sturdy and perfect for spaceships. When she had first seen the material, she had been excited and had wanted to know everything about it; its properties, production, usage. Everything. Now she couldn't care less.

She sat down on a little sofa. A sofa. What a strange thing on a spaceship for a Saiyan. Everyone had looked very confused at her. Why in the in the name of the Seven Hells would there be a sofa on a spaceship? It was the most useless and inefficient thing you could put on a ship. Also, why would it be in the common area when her room was already pretty luxurious? But, she was the princess after all. She had demanded a sofa, she had gotten one. And to everyone's surprise they liked to use it, sit together, tell stories, and socialize. It had a positive effect on their mood and team spirit.

It was simple. There were 3 single sofas placed around a little table. Every piece had been made for two people, maybe three, gray as was everything else on this spaceship.

A tired but sincere and warm smile adorned her face as she sat down on one in the middle. Lost in thoughts, she stared into the dark, before she laid down and reminisced about an evening from a while ago.

 _"_ _The ecosystems are still very fragile, but they definitely recovered a lot since the Cold Dynasty had ended. Long extinct believed species showed again and started to grow in numbers, the vegetation blooms in a variety that was never seen before, the predatory exploitation of nature came to a hold and the climates on the planets start to normalize. Also enslaved intelligent species start to grow not only in number, but also their economic wealth and technical progress increases at an amazing rate." The scientist explained excitingly, stunned by the numbers and facts beyond._

 _"_ _Wow, it's stunning how much of a difference it makes. Who would have ever thought that the Saiyans would be such an outstanding catalyst for the improvement of the whole universe?" the host leaned slightly back in his seat as his four eyes widened in surprise by the words of his guest._

 _"_ _True, but don't forget they also stood under the Colds service. How many of us can't say they did do things they would never do under normal circumstances? We all probably did things we're not proud of." They leant forward to the other alien with a serious but also sad look on his face. A whisper went through the audience. Most of them nodded, some even sobbed. The memories of the horror of this time still too fresh._

 _"_ _Tsk!" He clicked his teeth. "I'm not ashamed of my deeds. I'm proud of my achievements and your luck is just that my father doesn't care enough for your ugly asses, you fuckers. How dare you talk in this manner about us?" he hissed at the man on TV while his anger made him tense his muscles so he hugged her unintentionally a bit tighter, But it didn't bother her. She actually enjoyed his firm hugs; they made her feel safe and loved. Sometimes she would annoy him with a topic to even manipulate him into doing it. Eventually he would notice what she was doing and they end up in even more cuddling and making out eventually. It was a piece of heaven for her._

 _"_ _You are right. It was the darkest time in history. Let's hope it never happens again." The four eyed host tried to distract and cheer up the audience with a better topic as he turned to the camera "and now, dear viewer, we show in honor to the 7th anniversary of Liberation Day the final fight between the Cold Dynasty and the Saiyan Kakarot who unfortunately was killed during the fight by sacrificing his life for the benefit of us all."_

 _They laid on the comfortable sofa in their chambers, enjoying the mild evening together as the fight was displayed on TV and Bulma snuggled herself into Vegeta chest a bit more. He let his fingers run up and down the silken skin of her back causing her skin to tingle pleasantly and form goosebumps under his gentle touch. She closed her eyes as she inhaled his scent deeply. She loved doing this. Feeling his warmth, smelling his odor – it made her relax. He relished holding her close, feeling her relax into him, being trusted, being appreciated and held dear; being loved. For both of them it felt like... like... Home._

 _"_ _It seems Kakarot was a great fighter. The more astonishing thing is that no one ever noticed him. He seemed to come out of nowhere, no one expected him or even knew him. A pity he died, I would have taken him into my special force team." Vegeta muttered absently to himself as he followed the compilation of historic film footage._

 _"_ _I heard he was a third class warrior. I thought that means he wasn't a strong fighter, doesn't it?" Bulma lifted her head just enough to look up at Vegeta._

 _"_ _It does. Well… did," He answered and looked down to her shortly. "After that fight my father, myself and the generals reconsidered the class system. It used to be that they were born to a rank and usually the power level of the new born children just confirmed that rank, so they stayed within their rank their whole lives and they had been assigned only to missions that where fitting to their rank. Never was anything abnormal, until him. Now warriors have the chance to prove themselves in training, fights and missions and go up or even down in ranks." Vegeta reported from memory._

 _"_ _Wait! Are you saying… that… They could downgrade you?" the woman asked astonished, looking up at her man with big eyes and raised eyebrows._

 _"_ _W-what? Tsk. Don't be ridiculous. No one can downgrade me. I'm the strongest warrior of our entire race." He replied cock sure before he continued. "But it was indeed revolutionary. The whole system was turned upside down, noble Saiyans had been downgraded and were not pleased at all, other Saiyans from lower ranks had taken their places. They even started a rebellion, trying to take their places again, but the upgraded Saiyans had proven themselves and had quelled the rebellion, killed the renegades in a very bloody but absolutely uneven fight."_

 _"_ _Oh boy. I expected people to be angry but to revolt against the royals and new nobles?" Bulma was stunned by her husband's stories._

 _"_ _Yes. That was a unique chapter in Saiyan history, but the good thing is, it showed us that we made the right decision by up and downgrading the right people." He nodded in approval._

 _Bulma laid her head back down on his chest and started to giggle after several moments._

 _Vegeta looked down at her, amused. "What is it?"_

 _"_ _Luckily YOU can't get downgraded. You would starve to death without a servant," she answered cockily as she tried to hide her laughter behind her hand, but her eyes betrayed her, showing her amusement evidently._

 _Vegeta opened his eyes widely and gasped over dramatically, "What? How… how dare you call me out like this!" he objected in mock disbelief._

 _"_ _Hahahha, so you're telling me you would cook if you had to?" Bulma asked in disbelief, raising both eyebrows as high as she could._

 _"_ _Eh… Yes! Of course!" Was the instant response._

 _"_ _Do you even know what all those buttons on the oven are for?" Not buying it. As if he had ever stepped a foot inside of a kitchen. She was sure he wouldn't recognize one even if he were to stand in the middle of it._

 _"_ _To… um… heat up the food, of course. Every child knows that!"!" Vegeta clicked his teeth annoyed._

 _"_ _Alright, alright. And how would you do that? Cooking, I mean?" Her raised eyebrows underlined her curiosity and a little bit of her disbelief._

 _"_ _I… I would go out and hunt." Came the stammered response._

 _"_ _Hmmh, good start," she agreed._

 _"_ _I would take the animal to the kitchen." His voice more confident like he actually knew what he was talking about._

 _"_ _Oh really? That was unexpected." Bulma said in an almost serious sounding voice._

 _"_ _Yes." Vegeta nodded slowly, twice, with closed eyes like he was pleased with himself. Soft lips brushed his bare chest. The taste of his skin was the most wonderful of them all._

 _"_ _Interesting - go on." She urged him further, not wanting to let go of the topic because she was honestly enjoying that conversation too much to let it go now, which was proven by the shining in her eyes and her wide, loving smile. Her husband enjoyed it at least as much as she did, and so, he continued fooling around with her._

 _He squeezed her gently, his tail tightened lovingly around her waist, and pressed his cheek against her hair – she hummed in contentment before he said thoughtfully, "I would skin it and eviscerate it."_

 _"_ _Mhm, sounds about right so far. And then? " Bulma softly stroked her chin with two fingers, looking like she was deep in thought herself about it, as if they were trying to come up with an important plan together._

 _"_ _And then… I eat it raw or threaten someone's child if they don't cook it for me." The prince said with one confident and pleased nod._

 _Bulma couldn't hold herself anymore, and burst out laughing._

 _Laughter. It was the most beautiful sound that could dance through the air. He still could remember the first time he'd heard it. They had had their very first real conversation with too much wine, telling too many bad stories from their lives until they had decided it was time to talk about some good memories. She told him some of her nice childhood ones and he had reported about his first mission. He was still a child and everything had gone wrong that day. But the peak had been the moment he slipped on the muddy ground and fell face first into the dirt, sliding down a little hill, and before he knew what even happened, he reached a field of flowers, similar to dandelions – blooming, of course – and rolled through it so he was covered from head to toe in the light white seeds. His mother had even taken a picture and kept it on her nightstand._

 _Bulma had reacted with the most sincere and hearty laughter he had ever heard. She had held her stomach as she had fallen over on her side and hadn't been able to breathe anymore. Her eyes had been bright with amusement, emphasized by the glitter and twinkle from tears of joy._

 _That was the night he started to fall for her._

 _Since then, only when they were alone, of course, he had a reputation to keep; he began making jokes on purpose just to hear her laugh, to hear that heart-warming sound. He quickly learnt that she liked sarcasm and situational humor the most._

 _Just like this evening._

 _Vegeta gave Bulma a cute, loving smile as he watched her laughing genially at him. When he couldn't resist anymore, he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply until her giggles faded away eventually. They separated from their kiss and looked each other in the eyes until Bulma's words broke through the silence. "I love you, Vegeta." She whispered in a low voice and the world around him disappeared as she took his breath away once more._

 _"_ _Bulma…" he responded huskily. "My Princess…" his hands found their way under her shirt, caressing the soft skin of her back and she closed her eyes to enjoy his tender touch._

" _Bulma. Bulma! My Princess?"_

 _Odd… why would he say it so often?_

 _"_ _BULMA!" he called out for her more vigorously now._

She opened one eye to see what the matter is and… and… saw Nappa.

"Bulma, finally. I was already worried. I tried to wake you up for almost 3 minutes."

Bulma was dizzy and Nappa's words were only muffled sounds on her ears. What had happened? It took her a moment until she finally noticed she had fallen asleep on the sofa and had dreamt about a memory, a beautiful evening with cuddles, love and amazing sex from a few months ago.

Nappa had unfortunately managed to wake her up right when the hot part started. The bastard didn't even grant her a wet dream from better times. She grunted in annoyance as she fought waking up completely. She just wanted to jump right back into the dream and ride the shit out of her husband while he was stroking her clit with that skilled tail, screaming her orgasm into his ear, digging her nails into his shoulders in pure ecstasy as they came hard together. Instead, she had to experience the cruel reality and it was that asshole Nappa's fault.

He kneeled next to her as he looked her over worriedly.

"You moaned, tossed and turned in your sleep. Are you alright?" he asked genuinely concerned.ö

 _Oh, just go and fuck yourself! I was having a sex dream and your face is the last thing I want to see right now!_ She thought, but said instead "I'm fine, let me sleep," she said, waving her hand limply to dismiss him, but Nappa hesitated to leave her in the demanded peace, also because he noticed she looked too pale, like she hadn't eaten for a while.

He thought about it but couldn't remember when he last saw her stuffing food into her mouth. Since she had mated with Vegeta, her appetite had definitely raised. She still didn't eat as much as a Saiyan, but for sure, more than any human. Through the bond they shared their strengths and skills partly. She was stronger, had more stamina and understood the Saiyan language, but also ate more. He was more empathic and had a better understanding for engineering and was more patient, more controlled, simply less impulsive. Unfortunately she can't portend if that strange feeling that constricted her throat was just the fear he was dead or if it really had to do anything with his wellbeing.

"When was the last time you ate?" Nappa asked, his fatherly undertone annoying her. She just wanted to go back to her dream from better times. She was too exhausted for anything else right now.

"Last evening for dinner," she hoped her half-hearted lie would satisfy him, but… of course not. It would be too good if it had.

"You weren't in the living area when we ate." _Damn you, Nappa._

"I ate in my room." _Just cut the crap already._

"No. You didn't." _God damn it, Nappa, just let it go already._

"Are you calling me a liar? Don't talk like that to your princess." Bulma was finally completely annoyed with him. She was about to turn around and hide her head under her arm, but Nappa grabbed her shoulder gently and turned her so she was facing him again.

"As a warrior and your friend, my duty and my heart demands that I take care of you."

"Your heart?" Bulma snorted. "Since when do you say such cheesy things? That's disgusting," she laughed mockingly, hoping to chase him away by being mean; however Nappa saw right through it. Knowing his friend well enough, he just smiled and responded with

"Whatever cheers you up and makes you get up. Come on. You need to eat. I'll prepare something for you."

She only whimpered, defeated.

Nappa pulled her up on her feet, ignoring her complains, and guided her to the kitchen corner where he placed her onto a bar stool like she was nothing more than a bag full of groceries.

"What would you like to have?" he asked her as he opened the fridge to check what was available.

"Sleep..." She mumbled, her arms crossed and shoulders pulled up, like a petulant child who wouldn't get sweets.

"Oh, that is a very good choice, but unfortunately we are all out of 'sleep'." He placed two welded in foil pans with the same awful space food inside on the counter top, mimicking her as she offered him beer in a shitty bar when they first met years ago.

"But! I have a very exquisite, artificial meal here," he exclaimed in an excite tone, pointing at the mean on the left. "Or a delicious, prepared with love dish that will give you a mouthgasm over here." He continued, pointing at the right pan with a stupid grin all over his face, which made her laugh. He always knew how to cheer her up.

"Hmm…" She knitted her eyebrows and looked like she was trying really hard to think about which one she should choose. Her mood lighted up eventually.

She shortly looked up at him and said, "That's a pretty tough choice!"

Nappa gave her a very serious sigh and nodded once before they both stared back at the food, contemplating which one to have.

"Can you suggest one of them?" she eventually asked him without looking up and Nappa was just about to answer when they heard Caulitz call out to them from behind Bulma.

"You guys have serious problems, you know that, right?"

Bulma and Nappa looked at Caulitz, dumbfounded for a moment, then at each other, down at the food, back at each other just before they burst out in laughter. Caulitz didn't know what was actually going on, but he couldn't help and crack a grin himself. It was good to see his princess laughing again. He just hoped she would recover quickly, otherwise she wouldn't be strong enough for the upcoming struggles. The scalp couldn't have meant anything good and they would surely find out soon why.

Nappa eventually shoved both of the pans into the oven after Caulitz indicates that he was hungry himself. The ping sound of the kitchen device let them know that the food was ready to be eaten. Nappa walked over to the oven and got the pans out of it. When he placed the steaming space food in front of Bulma and Caulitz, he swung the towel he used to protect his hands from burns in an elegant movement, like he was a waiter, presenting the finest dish his guests had ever been served.

Unfortunately the unpleasant smell betrayed him and revealed its real nature. Flavorless, unexciting, mushy. He tried anyway. An unpleasant meal didn't necessarily mean zero fun.

"Milady, milord, it's a pleasure and an honor to serve you the most delicious dinner the universe has to offer, fit for a king. Today we have a cloud of the creamiest dreamiest mashed potatoes, accompanied by sautéed, carefully selected vegetables, bearing the pompous name 'Happa Happa from Papa Nappa'*. I hope this will pleasure your sensitive palate."

"Wow! This looks and smells indeed amazing." Bulma clapped her hand in excitement, smiling all over her face as she examined it thoroughly.

"Yes, I just can agree. It's mouthwatering!" Caulitz held his utensils in both fists, knocking the bottoms of them on the table like a little child that couldnt wait to finally eat its favorite rice pudding.

"I spent half my life to create this little perfect piece of heaven. I hope it will taste as good as it looks." Nappa exclaimed proudly.

Caulitz and Bulma started to eat the food but, those compressed, pale cubes were unrecognizable and they tasted just as awful as they looked. But on the upside, it was extremely effective and high in nutrition and minerals. Only a dozen of those small cubes were enough to sate a grown up Saiyan warrior.

The three of them talked and laughed for a while longer, something all of them needed to relax a bit to restore their energies for the upcoming difficulties they would surely have to face. Eventually Bulma and Nappa headed to their own quarters to get some necessary rest. They would stay in space for one more day but still, the last days were exhausting enough and sleeping in the day wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Caulitz stayed in the kitchen to clean up everything and enjoyed a cold beer he'd brought with him before their departure. He slouched against the cold counter top; only the soft hum of the engine was heard as he looked out of the window, admiring the colorful beauty of space and losing himself in deep thoughts when he suddenly noticed a pink reflection in the window. Zucci.

"Is that beer?" she asked surprised, nodding her head to the bottle in his crossed arms as she got closer to him.

"Yep, it is." He said with a grin, knowing very well that it was rather unusual to have one with them. They had been told to bring only the main essentials and he had argued that this was his fuel and thus it was necessary. All right! He always had complained that the ships had not even one bottle of beer on them. Seriously? Much to the indignation and shock to the others, he reasoned that no man could endure all of this without his own kind of mental crutch; beer was his.

Zucci gasped in played horror, her right hand covering her mouth, then left her chest. "How dare you?" she leaned forward and whispered as if someone could hear her words about his forbidden deeds.

"What can I say, I'm a bad boy." He shrugged before he took another sip from the bottle, his tail swaying casually and lazily.

"Hmm…" she hummed. "I like bad boys." She said seductively, letting her right hand run down her neck, her fingers gently tracing the skin down to her collar bone, the left hand cupping her heavy breast, never breaking eye contact with Caulitz. Oh he knew that very well. He also knew that her offer was serious. He knew the feeling of her breast in his hands, and he knew damn well the pleasure her tight pussy around his cock could give him.

He grinned and looked down at his half erected dick and was very pleased as Zucci walked over to kneel down in front of him. She went straight to work and started to stroke him through the thin fabric of his pants a couple of times until it was hard and ready so she could do with it as she pleased.

The woman pulled down his pants, and his full grown cock jumped free, twitching in anticipation. Zucci looked up at Caulitz, noticing that he was watching her carefully, arms still crossed, clutching his beer as he breathed heavily and waited impatiently for her next move.

"Dinner is ready." She said with a devilish grin, her low voice and the spark in her eyes telling him that she was more than eager to suck that Saiyan flavored lollipop.

"Unfortunately it's cold and there is no way to warm if up for you." He said with a smirk.

"Hmm. I could heat it up a little bit." She said as she took him in her right hand and gave his member a rough lick, from the bottom of his shaft up to his glans, causing him to hiss, the hair on his tail standing on end. She smirked and let her hand run up and down his length a few times with a light twist of her wrist every time she reached his head. Caulitz watched her with hooded lids when she breathed on a still wet spot, which cooled down immediately afterwards, creating a blissful sensation of the change between warmth and cool.

Of course, she knew the effect that she had on him, and the thought of tasting and feeling him got her excited as well; something that was not left unnoticed by him. The smell of her arousal danced in his nose, making his cock painfully hard, and it took all his resistance to not jump her right in that place, but luckily, she finally let his member glide between her soft lips into her wet, hot mouth.

He dropped his head back; a wave of goosebumps washing all over his skin shortly as he moaned in pleasure. But instead of running her lips and tongue over him, she stalled. Amused, she listened to his groan of frustration and gave him a devilish grin as he looked down at her. She was toying with him. She always did, but if she thought he would let her then, oh, she was so wrong. He would show her he was stronger than her. He took her head in both hands, starting to take what she promised but denied. He thrust into her hot mouth and was pleased to feel her tongue swirl around his shaft, her moans of lust causing a pleasant vibration around him.

Zucci wasn't letting him have his way, so she placed her hands with a firm grip on his hips to control his pushes, trying to move against his thrusts to tease him even more. He didn't like that at all, of course, so curled his tail around her neck. She purred when the fluffy fur caressed her soft skin just before he tightened his grip around her, not to strangle her, but as an attempt to keep her in place. If he thought he could play dirty then he was wrong, oh no, she knew how to turn the tables.

The woman grabbed his tail and squeezed it. Hard. The pain shot through his tail, right into his spine and up his back, a quiet groan escaping his lips as his legs gave out and he struggled to catch himself on the countertop just before he dropped limply to the ground.

"YOU BITCH!" Caulitz shouted angrily down to the still kneeling Zucci as he was getting up slowly. She had a wide grin all over her beautiful face and her eyes shone with dark amusement.

"What are you going to do about it, tough guy?" She challenged him with a victorious smile, never breaking eye contact with the man she wanted to have rough sex with.

He was a good man. He behaved like an asshole around others, but with her, he treated her well, respected her and took care of her. At times, he had a cocky way of talking to her, but Caulitz never had done anything she wouldn't approve of. He had a twisted sense of humor, but it was just the same as her own. She really enjoyed all of that about him but every now and then, and today was one of those days, when she just wanted him to take her and do with her as he pleased. Hard.

Obviously, today he needed a little push, and that was what she just did.

The woman was pumped about what he would do next. In one swift motion, Caulitz reached down to Zucci, pulled her up, bent her roughly over the cold steal of the countertop, pulled down her pants and smacked her ass hard, leaving a red hand print on the soft skin. She shrieked in surprise briefly, but quickly caught herself, before she looked flustered and horny at Caulitz over her shoulder.

He was playing with her buns, kneading and spreading them, admiring the view it gave him. That was exactly how she liked it. He knew his partner was on edge, her anticipation was clear when she pushed towards him and curled her tail around his hip to pull him closer to her. Yet, it was his turn to tease her now, so he didn't move one bit. Instead, he ran his fingers gently over her folds. Smooth, hot, dripping wet.

Her breath hitched and she moaned slightly, but he still took his time before he pushed his fingertips through them and moistened them with the sweet honey of her arousal. She tried to move towards him, forcing his fingers to go deeper into her, giving her what she was craving for; he just wouldn't let her by keeping her in place with his firm grip on her butt.

"Ah, fuck, Caulitz, stop teasing me already!" She groaned desperately.

"What is it? You don't like your own medicine, do you?" He chuckled before he eventually obeyed and started to pull her hips onto his fingers, back and forth, for which he was rewarded with a moan of pleasure. She grabbed tightly onto the counter top, while the grip of her tail tightened around Caulitz' hip. She started to lose herself in lust as she became louder, pressing herself harder onto him with every push of her body, the world around her getting blurry while she found herself in her own world of pleasure.

He let her have her way with him until he couldn't hold it himself anymore, his own arousal had become unbearable. Noises of protest found forced their way through her chest as he retracted his finger from her. Wet as they were, they slid over his erection from the head to the base where he grabbed on gently. She moaned loudly and deeply in bliss as he gently slid his erectiom into her wet entrance.

Finally they got what they were longing for since the last time they fucked.

They had a thing going on between them for a quite a while now, meeting regularly to jump each other just for the fun of it. It was just sex. Hot, passionate, rough, animalistic. Well, it was just sex for Zucci. She already had her eye on someone else, who unfortunately wasn't interested in her. While she was frustrated about this, Caulitz came along and had shown an interest in her. His intentions were genuine, but he was just a nice distraction to her. Even after he noticed that they didn't have the same interest in each other, he let her play with him.

She had to be honest… To get laid or not to get laid, that was the question and she was a slut in bed. He loved to use her and she loved being used.

And here she was, bending over the cold counter top, grabbing tightly onto its edges, his nails scratching over the delicate skin of her, just as she liked it, causing shivers of lust to run all over her body. The slapping noises of their skin and her loud moans echoed from the metal walls or the ship – the audible evidence of his cock pumping into her hard, giving them both pure bliss.

Caulitz shoved his hand under her belly, letting it glide up her strong torso until he reached her neck and then pulled her roughly up against his chest, not missing the rhythm of his thrusts. Zucci let her head drop back on his shoulder and tried to clutch his muscular butt to keep her balance as his sweaty body pressed into hers repeatedly and pushed her against the table again and again. He enjoyed her desperate attempt to not lose herself completely and not let herself fall and lean into his grasp, for as much as he knew that she loved his hands around her neck, he got his own thrill when she lost control and had to trust him utterly and completely.

She probably didn't even notice that she had wrapped her tail tightly around his waist – a very intimate gesture only mates did. It not only gave him hope that she would reciprocate his feelings one day, but it also made him damn horny and spurred him on to pound even harder into her. His other hand squeezed her breast hard, kneading her nipple between his finger knuckles while he nibbled on her neck, almost breaking the skin, and his tail found its way around her thigh, up to her clit, rubbing the little bump of lust with the soft tip of his tail. All of those pleasant sensations gave her blissful shivers all over her body, causing her panting and groaning to increase, arousing Caulitz even more as well.

They were both close… so close…

When suddenly, Bardock entered the kitchen area, startling them both. What the fuck is he doing here? It was the middle of stasis time!

Caulitz stalled a moment in his movements, unsure of what to do for a second, unsure of what Zucci wanted in that moment but she pulled his hips towards her while she pushed against him.

"Hn… Caulitz! I'm close, don't you dare to stop now!" she breathed hoarse, looking up at him with half lidded eyes.

"Ha! You're such a slut and have no shame, do you?" He laughed, surprised, before he sucked on her neck strongly and thrust hard once more into her to emphasize his words.

She moaned loudly by his actions and giggled her answer. "Hmm, I am."

"You two are disgusting, you do know that, right?" Bardock said with a despising huff before he went over to the fridge and got himself some water. The couple didn't mind him and kept going with their tryst until Zucci felt the unnecessary urge to answer with just the wrong words.

"I hope Raditz is alive. I'd _love_ to spend some time with him as well." She purred as she looked over Caulitz shoulder at Bardock, a dirty, cocky grin on her pretty face.

Caulitz stalled.

Raditz? How could she talk about about Raditz while his – _his!_ – cock was shoved up to the hilt in her wet pussy? That was too much. It was one thing that she didn't want him to be her mate, but talking about wanting sex with another man while they fucked was too much. How dare she?

Zucci looked up into his stoic face.

"What is it? Why are you stopping? Does his comment bother you all of a sudden?" she laughed mockingly.

"No. Yours." He simply replied coldly before he extracted his softening dick and tucked it back into his pants.

"Ey! What the hell are you doing? I'm not done!" she screamed at Caulitz angrily.

"But I am." He responded dryly without looking back at her as he left her behind, dumbfounded and horny, with a very amused Bardock.

Zucci turned around towards him. "What?" she breathed confused and only got chuckles as an answer. She turned around to the hallway. Caulitz had left too, and now annoyed, she repeated a louder "What?" only earning herself even louder laugher from Bardock, who had also left to go to his room.

Zucci was left behind. Confused. Angry. Needy. With no pants.

Caulitz sat in a chair in the dark when Zucci entered his room, obviously upset with his behavior.

"Get lost," he hissed.

"What? What the hell is wrong with you?" She screamed at him furiously. He'd not only left her just before she was about to orgasm, he also hadn't told her what the problem was, he didn't even want to talk to her now. She felt attacked, angry, and desperate and rejected. But… why? She couldn't understand her own feelings. He never treated her that way and she was overwhelmed by the situation and unable to express herself properly to talk this through.

What was the use in talking about it? She was not even able to see her own misbehaving, that her words were hurtful and inappropriate. Instead she blamed him for her mistake. That's what she always did, what she always had to do to protect herself from the unbearable feeling of not being good enough. Poor girl, she tried so hard to build a wall against all of the bad feelings that she was blind towards the good ones; blind for the affection that was being offered to her by the man in front of her, who had tried to give her just that feeling of appreciation, affection and acceptance she was longing for so desperately.

She had been rejected by the man she desired and was desired by the man she was rejecting.

"What the fuck is wrong with _you_?" Caulitz jumped from his seat, the sheer rage in his eyes, catching Zucci off guard. He wanted to list everything; everything he did for her, everything she did to hurt him, everything that caused his self-doubt and made him vulnerable, but he was half-Saiyan and couldn't allow his alien part to take over control and talk about something as weak and ridiculous as feelings.

He had to fight extremely hard to be seen as equal to full-blooded Saiyans every day. It was on the tip of his tongue, it would have been so easy to ask if she constantly rejected him because of his genetics or if it was because he was no elite or because he had no famous brother who had killed the dark lord all by himself by becoming the golden warrior. Or was she just a bitch who loved to fuck people up? Did she hope Raditz would have gotten a piece of the cake or at least the solution to the secret and would be able to become a super Saiyan himself? Or was there something else? It didn't matter anymore. Well, to be honest it still did, but it shouldn't. He knew he shouldn't talk about it either, so he kept it all in; all the doubts, all the hurt and all the disappointment, to himself.

Zucci didn't recognize him anymore. She had never seen him that angry and it even scared her a bit so she figured it would be the best to give in, even though she had no idea what bothered him.

"Look, Caulitz, if I did or said something that hurt or offended you," she started defeated, trying to calm him down.

What? 'If'? ' _If_ '? If she hurt or said anything? Just as he guessed, she didn't even know what she had done to him. Not one bit and her halfhearted apology- no, _excuse_ \- didn't make it any better. "Are you serious?" Every muscle in his body tensed, back and legs slightly bent, tail curled tightly around his waist; its hair standing to end. The predator in him stirring to life, ready to jump its prey, ready to kill. His Saiyan genes kicking in.

"What? I… yes. Of course, I'm sorry. There, I said it." Zucci rolled her eyes, now completely ignoring his threatening, trying to look confided, because she was right anyway, wasn't she?

"No," his voice dripping with spite.

"No?" his words dumbfounded her. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"You're not _sorry_. You can never ever be truly sorry for anything because you are the biggest _narcissist_ in the fucking universe and you can't even fathom the thought that you are ever wrong. You can't take responsibility or feel any remorse for hurting a person, because you can't even see it, when you do. Instead you're basically telling me I'm irrational or over sensitive. You're blaming it on me when it was your mistake. You're apologizing because you think you have to, not because you acknowledge any wrongdoing by yourself. Fuck, you don't even know if it's something you did or said, how could you possibly really be sorry for it?" He looked her straight in the eyes, demanding an answer.

"Oh Caulitz, please, don't be such a drama queen!" she had her left hand on her hip and waved the other one, implying it's all of no importance.

"Wha… you know what, you're right, good night." He threw his arms up. "You could find your way out on your own!" He was sick and tired of her. This discussion was just pointless. She was not able to take any criticism, she was not able to admit she was wrong, she would always only bitch at him and blame him for calling her out instead of thinking about his words for just a second.

"Are you kicking me out?" Zucci was in rage, how dare he talk to her like that! Who did he think he was? He was just scum with tainted blood, a disgrace to his people. He should thank her, yes, thank her. She, she, was giving him a great time while he was way beneath her, she could have anyone. Anyone! She was wasting her time with him. He should be grateful. Why was he not grateful? Why was he rejecting her?

Why was she rejected… again…?

"Yes, I am. I'm done with you." Caulitz sat down again and dismissed her with a movement of his hand without looking at her.

The woman was overwhelmed by the situation. She came here to call him out but instead she was even more confused. He never acted like that, never had he been so serious when they had an argument. Her mind should be racing but instead it was just empty. What had she said to cause such a reaction from him? She came up with only one logical conclusion: he was unreasonable. One minute they were having awesome sex, and the next he left her. Honestly, she had no patience for this at all. She just wanted to finish what they had started. He shouldn't bitch about whatever it was that much.

She walked over to him with a seductive smile that played around her lips, before she kneeled down between his spread legs and start to rub his thighs.

She tried her best to sound sincere even if she didn't mean it one bit. "It was not my intention to hurt you in any way. I'm really sorry, is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" The woman looked down at his crotch and back up into his eyes, the playful spark in her own eyes emphasizing her lust.

The half-Saiyan contemplated her offer for a moment. He, as well, wasn't done with their hot session. Caulitz stared into her dark eyes for a moment before he nodded while he looked down on his hardening dick.

Zucci grinned, being cock sure to play him once more and get what she wanted for this night. To make sure he wouldn't back out again, she did her best to pleasure him as well as she could, to prove how much fun she was. Caulitz leaned his head on the back of the seat with closed eyes, moaning softly as he obviously enjoyed her tongue swirling around the head of his penis.

Zucci wanted to stop, get up and ride the shit out of him, feeling him filling her out and spurting his hot semen into her, but he pressed her head back down and made it clear, that he wanted her to finish the task at hand.

The woman didn't like it one bit. She wanted the same pleasure; the same hot bliss he'd given her earlier this night, but she also didn't want to upset him again and since she didn't know what the exact problem was, she figured it would be the best to do as he wished.

To heighten the wonderful sensation and give him the best orgasm possible, the Saiyan woman started to stroke his tail, massaging it gently and played with it on just the right spots, enjoying the way his breath hitched, the way he grabbed more tightly onto her hair, until the man in front of her eventually reached his climax and spilled himself into her mouth with a loud groan and a shaking body.

Zucci wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and grinned proudly about her good blowjob, looking up at him and relishing to see his body relaxed after the ecstasy she caused. When she was just about to get up and lean over him, he pushed her firmly away.

"That was a nice blowjob. Apparently your dirty mouth is good for something. I'm sorry if I disappoint you, but I have to get up early. See you tomorrow." He looked at her with a cold face before he left for the bathroom, leaving her behind, once more: Confused. Angry. Needy.

Zucci stormed into her room, uttering insults under her breath. He did it again. Unbelievable! How dare he! Now she really had to take care of the matter herself or she would be horny the whole day tomorrow. She took off her clothes and with lots of insults and complains she stood with wide open legs before the dresser, supporting herself against it with one hand as the other did Caulitz' job: make her cum.

The next artificial spaceship day, created by a programmed rhythm, they were going to arrive at their next destination.

The planet was called "The Market" and rightly so. It was a very small planet with moderate weather conditions. Races from all over the universe came here to open a booth and display their products for sale under the most beautiful and colorful tents, which you could even see from far above the sky.

Laid out was an assortment of vegetables and fruits, meat and fish, living and dead animals, flowers, seeds, plants, carpets, pictures, furniture, clothes, decorations, toys, weapons, jewelry. A variety of quality and price was available. Handmade and unique or mass-produced articles made in a factory, high quality or junk, unaffordable or ridiculously cheap.

Unfortunately, places that drew tourists, buyers and dealers towards itself, also attracted all kinds of criminals. Whistle-blowers, spies, murderers, drug dealers, prostitution and slave traders.

What was a better cover and location for your illegal activities than a well working business on the most popular market of all times?

The squad, Bulma with her black wig and all dressed with a dark cloak over their armor to show they had no intention to fight, walked along between the tents. The market wasn't something special for the Saiyans, it even was more of inconvenient that they weren't able to see far enough to spot any possible dangers early enough. They had to protect a princess, who would probably lose a fight against a rat in the kitchen, and it was not unlikely that they might be potentially attacked out of nowhere.

Bulma on the other hand, felt like a little girl in a candy store. Let's be honest, she's a woman and women love shopping. To the annoyance of the others, she stopped at almost every booth, grabbing a handful of wooden pearls and let the smooth balls run through her fingers, smelling red, brown, orange and yellow spices, petting animals and letting her fingers dance over the most expensive fabrics the universe has to offer.

Tora pulled on Nappa's arm, leaving them behind for a few steps to talk to him quickly without Bulma hearing them.

"Nappa, we need to keep going. We all know this area is not safe, but you have to tell her to stop wasting time. She puts us all in danger. Believe me, this place is even worse than you could imagine. In fact, this is one of the most dangerous places I ever been to." Tora whispered to Nappa, his concerns written all over his face and as he talked, Nappa became visibly more and more uncomfortable, looking over to his princess and friends.

Bulma was currently chatting excitedly with a seller about a little night stand lamp that looked a bit like earth. Nappa had to act quickly before she would blow their cover by telling them she actually was from earth. You never knew who you were actually was talking to and a Saiyan, who was drooling all over a stupid lamp that didn't look like your home at all was very suspicious.

He went over to her to grab her by the arm, standing before her as he whispered urgently, "We have to leave, now."

He gave her no explanation, no reason, but the stern look on his face told her he was dead serious, and she knew better than to ignore his judgment. Bulma didn't even have the chance to say goodbye before the squad moved on to their intended destination – a bright tent, made of yellow, red and orange fabrics with a big support beam in the center. Rare antiques of all sizes and materials were laid out around them: Old swords, armors, vases, carpets, sculptures and jewelries, each more expensive than the other. Priceless, even. Knocking something over or breaking it could cost you your life.

The interior of the tent muffled the sounds from beyond it, and within, it was illuminated by a warm glow from the sunlight that shone lightly through the fabrics. The atmosphere was… relaxing. Almost hypnotic, with the sweet scent of joss sticks drugging and fooling the unsuspecting visitors into believing that they were in an entirely new world, far away from home, where they were strong, invulnerable, in charge; tricking them into buying useless stuff they can't afford, running into debt where they can't climb out of.

In the end, they have to sell their lives to the company to pay them off and guarantee the safety of their families. It was an underhanded, crafty way of acquiring more members for the dubious businesses of the company. The shady tactic helped the company gain new members, giving them men, spies, murderers, dealers and all other criminal minds with links to nearly everywhere – from the gutter, to the governments of the most influential races. If anyone knew what was going on, then it would be them.

The greatest trick of them all was… to make them share their secrets.

As the group moved, they were greeted by a woman. She was dressed elegantly, but it was hard to tell if she was young, old, or beautiful by her race's standards. Her appearance resembled a praying mantis with leaf-green skin, and three pop eyes focused on the team. The way she stared at them, as if they would be the most delicious dinner that she had been served in much too long, alarmed the Saiyans who stepped protectively in front of their princess.

"We're looking for answers to some terrible questions." Tora spoke confidently to the creature which only tilted her head to the side and made frightening insect noises, seemingly not understanding the demand at all. Tora swallowed heavily as he fought the urge to prepare visibly for combat. But luckily the woman disappeared to the back of the tent after she made some more clicking and snaring noises.

"What the _fuck_ was that, Tora?" Bardock huffed, obviously shocked and confused by the situation.

"You tell me, you're the scientist." Tora replied, side eying his comrade, not feeling any better about the whole thing.

Bardock gave him an angry side look. "I'm sure she just went to the back to grab some cooking utensils and an apple for your big mouth. Like I know every creature you screwed."

Before they could argue any further, the mantis came back, accompanied by a tall, beefy guy who looked like a wolf walking on the hind legs. Unfortunately he smelled like one as well. It was instantly clear that he was not the wise man they were looking for, but just a minion whose job it was to look intimidating. Bulma could tell by his dumb looking face that he never saw any educational institution from the inside. The wolf's ear twitched as he looked at the strangers with a judging look and Zucci giggled, surprised that he was able to do such a complex thing as thinking.

They walked down stairs deep into the ground until they reached a wide tunnel system. It was dark, ramified and stank like the bathroom after Caulitz used it.

"Oh that smell is awful. Is that the sewage?" Bulma made a face as she covered her mouth and nose with the fabric of her cloak and wagged her hand in an attempt to get rid of the smell.

"Probably," Tora shrugged. "Oooooooor…" he looked over to their guide and Bulma almost burst out laughing, but ended up coughing because of the stinging smell she inhaled too sharply.

"I mean… he _might_ be right." Caulitz grinned.

"Guys, be serious." Nappa warned. "Besides… we all know you just farted, Caulitz."

Everyone laughed at this, but actually this situation was no joke. They didn't know where they were being lead to and what was awaiting them there. It could be a trap. The guy could leave them in the slightly declining tunnels and flood them, they could be leased to a group of warriors, right into an ambush. They didn't know and this was not the time for joking around.

They were on a serious and dangerous mission, not a delightful trip plus the princess was with them. Bulma wouldn't be able to protect herself in case of emergency. But when Nappa was honest to himself, he had to grin to himself about his own joke and could not help but wonder if the guy was indeed a wolf or just extremely hairy. The side glance of a smirking Bardock pulled Nappa out of his thoughts. Nappa gave Bardock and innocent look before he returned the smirk himself. It was indeed a serious mission but… a little joke now and then kept the morale up.

Eventually they reached stairs again, leading upwards. Bulma was visibly relieved and wondered how the Saiyans could stand the smell with their super sensitive noses. The Saiyans themselves became very taut, circling Bulma and preparing themselves for a possible fight.

They reached the top of the stairs and Bardock whispered to Nappa, "Fourty-three steps less than when we went downstairs."

Nappa nodded acknowledging, turning on the record and transmission function of his scouter. If anything was going to happen to them, then at least their people would know and send help.

The planet had a relatively flat surface so it was very likely they were still in the underground even if it looked like they were in a tent on the market again. The yellow, red and orange fabrics seemed to be illuminated softly by the sunlight, the pleasant smell of herbs and spices filled their senses and relaxed them immediately. A slight feel of peace and calmness washed over them, letting them forget the danger that hung in the air.

The peaceful atmosphere was disturbed by an old, small man who bustled around distracted and dazed. His conduct seemed aimless and unorganized, even stressed and rushed.

The man wore old ragged clothes and was unkempt overall. His rumpled white beard reached down to the ground. Around his neck, waist and wrists he wore a lot of necklaces, thin chains, ropes and ribbons with cheap pedants of shells, woods and different metals, everything arranged and put together completely randomly and every time he hurry-scurried around the place they would chink and rattle while he was muttering to himself.

"Cumin… cumin… and where is the saffron?"

"Make it quick." The maybe-wolf-maybe-too-hairy-guy commanded to the group.

"Fire wood. I need fire wood. Need to keep the fire up or the children will freeze to death."

Bulma watched him and wondered which children he was talking about as the man removed a pendant to put it on a little stool and went to the other side of the room.

"What?" Tora replied confused to the douchebag. Zucci shrugged and yawned in boredom.

"No, Sir, there is no need to be sorry." He went back to the stool, picked up the pedant again and added it to the same chain as from where he removed it.

"Talking to him." The guide nodded in the old man's direction.

"Tomorrow it will rain blood, but not my blood. I need to prepare the vanilla pudding. Where is the pepper? I need pepper for the pudding." He picked up a few herbs, bowls with other ingredients and two books.

Caulitz tried to keep his posture straight but actually it had been a restless night for him, as the fight with Zucci bothered him a lot. He hadn't slept much and had a hard time to keeping his eyes open. The relaxing atmosphere didn't help to keep him awake.

"What? No! That's not who we came for!" Tora was visibly angry about the situation. "Where is the wise man who can answer every question of the universe? Wise, strong, calm."

"Coal. Black coal. Dark, black coal. As dark as the night and the evil deeds." He put down one book on top of a mug that was standing on a laptop which was covering the opening of a bin.

"There he is." The wolf pointed at the man again. Nappa tried to suppress his own yawn.

"What have you done to him?" Tora whispered and stared dumbfounded at the man who just passed him. Just before he reached his kettle again, he stepped on the end of his long beard and tripped over, scattering his supplies all around the place, some even fell into the fire. With a groaning he got up as fast as his old body allowed him and tried to fetch everything quickly out of the flames, even burning his hands slightly. Afterwards, he went over to the sink and opened the tap but only sand ran out of it. He didn't seem to mind and rubbed his hand under the sand as if he was washing his hand. "Ouch, ouch, ouch, careful, carful, don't drown."

Bardock couldn't help but yawn a bit as well. _It was a long night, indeed. But now is not the time. Pull yourself together, dude_.

"Five minutes." The wolf glanced over to the old man and left without another word.

"Welcome, welcome, welcome, unwelcomed." He started to pick up his supplies.

Tora turned to the man, completely shocked as Zucci hit him hard with her fist on his shoulder causing him to almost trip over. "Are you fucking serious?" Her anger written all over her face.

Tora didn't know what to say, overwhelm himself by the situation. Utterly exhausted.

"I… I…" He stuttered.

"You, you, _what_?" She pulled on the old man's arm, forcing him to fall down before Tora's feet. "We came for nothing! We could have been somewhere else by now, making some actual progress but instead we're wasting our time. YOU are wasting our time!" She screamed and threw the picture of the crest, carved in the scalp, to his feet as well.

"Zucci!" Nappa admonished her.

The man looked at the picture while the team continued arguing. Then he suddenly jumped up, grabbed the collar of Tora's armor and looked him dead serious in the eye and whispered. "Vélmennivalardohaeris." he paused and added "I'm sorry but I have to make this sacrifice. I'm proud of you."

"What? What are you talking about?" But before Tora could get an answer, the man hurried out of the room.

"What the hell was that?" Caulitz asked in sheer disbelief.

Tora just shook his head as Zucci sulked and huffed.

"'I'm proud of you.' Are you close, Tora?" Bulma asked.

But Tora didn't hear her, deafened by overwhelming feeling of fear that suddenly washed over him. Sacrifice? What sacrifice? What was he talking about? What did he do? Or worse... what is he going to do? He rushed to the door but it was already locked. "What the fuck…?" He said to himself and slammed his fist against the door.

"What is it, Tora?" Nappa demanded instantly.

"The door… it's locked."

"Guys, do you smell that?" Bulma asked suddenly concerned. The Saiyans sniffed but couldn't notice anything. There was a light scent in the air that either she was fantasizing or only she, but not the Saiyan, could smell it.

"We need to get out of here." Caulitz eventually voiced what everyone was thinking. Hastily they tried to rip open the fabrics but only to be greeted by a blank gray wall. They indeed weren't on the surface again, but still underground, trapped. If that wouldn't be enough, they also discovered the source of the smell Bulma was talking about and very likely cause the tiredness of the Saiyans. It was a little hole in the wall where gas radiated.

"FUCK! DODGE!" Nappa screamed and Zucci and Bardock, who stood by the door, jumped out of the way, as Nappa threw a large ki ball at the door which blew away with a loud bang and sent shattered and burned parts flying around. Caulitz covered his princess with his body, the others shielded their faces with their arms.

As the dust settled slowly, a horrible scene was displayed to Tora. He saw the wolf standing over the old man's dead body, his empty eyes staring lifeless at his old friend. In his hand the picture of the scalp, a silent witness of pure hate and pain and in the other hand a picture of him and Tora, as a little child, tightly hugged by the man, widely smiling in the camera. The evidence of a moment of joy and happiness a way too long time ago. A moment that will never come in any way again.

The Saiyan jumped over to the wolf and punched him so hard in the stomach that his fist went through his body. A loud crack left no doubt that he shattered a couple of bones. Tora extracted his hand with a wet smacking sound and grabbed the dying man's neck, holding him up, smearing blood all over him.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" the warrior screamed in rage and sorrow, but the wolf just chucked devilishly, like he had an ace up his sleeve.

"ANSWER ME!" Tora screamed in sheer rage now, increasing the pressure, closing his fist even more around the throat, causing his victim to chock and roll his eyes back in agony.

"Tora…" Nappa laid a hand on his friends shoulder. "He can't talk when you choke him to death."

He was right. He wanted the piece of shit to talk but he very likely couldn't without air, so he eased his grip. The roof eventually started to collapse after it lost its last hold by Nappa blowing away every primary structure just moments ago. The wolf just grinned and to the roof and back at Tora, straight in his eyes, saying one cryptic thing just before he was slayed by a falling rock.

"Valar morghulis."

*in the German dub of Dragonball Z Nappa was planting the saibamen and fed them with a liquid. He said Happa Happa from Papa Nappa. Happa Happa is a childlike expression and means simply "food"

Phew. That was my longest piece so far.  
I hope you liked it :)

Please let me know if you want me to develop the backstories of Zucci and Caulitz a bit more. Or maybe anything else?  
Also, I'm always happy about critiques, suggestions and ideas. I love to involve as much as the storyline allows it :)

Thanks again for staying with me all the time, even it took so long to update. I appreciate it so much :-*

I hope everyone is well and you have all a merry Christmas :')  
Lots of love, hugs, kisses and ice cream for everyone.  
Your Sheep


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